Export council members are taking the first steps to reclaim Italy Road from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
Over the years, Export has handled winter maintenance of Italy Road within the borough, for which they receive PennDOT funding of about $1,000 per year.
Council authorized the winter maintenance agreement at its meeting Tuesday night, and also began taking steps to enter into PennDOT’s Turnback program.
“We need to have some engineering done, to determine a price for what the road needs in terms updating — storm sewers, sections of sidewalk, those kinds of things,” Mayor Joe Zaccagnini said.
The borough would pay for the engineering, and PennDOT would then fund the updates and pay $4,000 per mile in annual maintenance.
PennDOT took ownership of Italy Road in 1931.
Borough residents and officials have complained over the years about various aspects of the state’s handling of Italy Road, from tar-and-chipping instead of paving to the condition of the original stone culverts, several of which are falling apart.
